Trump is triggering a massive constitutional crisis for about this much of a racist wall. Chip Somodevilla / GETTY IMAGES

We'll get to the bad President in a second but UH WOW TIM EYMAN "ALLEGEDLY" STOLE AN OFFICE CHAIR: When Eyman is not busy bankrupting transit funds with his $30 car tab initiative, he's apparently jacking a $70 office chair from an Office Depot in Lacey, WA. According to the Times, footage from the store shows Eyman wearing one of his signature "Let The Voters Decide" long sleeve t-shirts as he "reclines, spins around three times and then stands up and wheels the chair out of the store." He then goes back into the store to drop a couple hundred dollars on printers. An employee told the police that Eyman "acted wary" when he offered to help carry the printers to the car, and then insisted he "leave the printers on the ground next to his vehicle" when he got out there. KEY DETAIL: "The store manager identified Eyman based on his phone number, payment method and his name in the store’s loyalty system, the police report says."

Eyman didn't respond to my calls, but in a statement e-mailed to reporters he said he's contacted the Lacey Office Depot and is "expecting a call from the officer in charge to explain what happened," adding that he plans to "cooperate fully" and "do whatever is required" of him. "It's time Tim Eyman spent some quality time in jail," said Eyman's anti-boyfriend, Andrew Villeneuve of Northwest Progressive Institute.

You are welcome for these GIFs of Tim, gifted to us by an anonymous donor:

Donald Trump says he didn't need to declare a national emergency for wall funding: "I could do the wall over a longer period of time. I didn't need to do this, but I'd rather do it much faster," Trump said during his unprecedented, probably unconstitutional, authoritarian power grab this morning. I'm very much looking forward to reading Justice's Brett Kavanaugh's argument in favor of a President's ability to declare a national emergency that he admits is not an emergency.

Chuck and Nancy aren't having it: “The President’s actions clearly violate the Congress’s exclusive power of the purse, which our Founders enshrined in the Constitution," Pelosi and Schumer said in a statement.

Congressional Democrats aren't having it: The House Judiciary Committee says it's investigating Trumps decision, per Axios. Democrats are also expected to draw up a resolution rejecting Trump's executive order, which, if nothing else, would force Republicans to go on the record allowing the executive branch to encroach upon the central powers of the legislative branch.

Even some Republicans aren't having it: But nobody who really matters. Senators Rubio, Paul, Collins, Murkowski, Alexander, and Toomey all expressed opposition.

A lawsuit has already been filed: On Friday afternoon a group representing Texas landowners filed the first lawsuit against's Trump's declaration, according to Buzzfeed. The ACLU is also expected to file suit soon.

Democrats are already introducing bills declaring a "national emergency" on climate change: Look what you started, Trump! In a letter to Congress, Rep. Earl Blumenauer from Oregon called on his colleagues to co-sponsor a resolution that would declare a national emergency on climate change. "If Donald Trump wants to start declaring national emergencies for fake crises, Congress should start to address the real ones, starting with climate change," he wrote.

Mueller's office says Paul Manafort should get 19 to 24 years of jail time: That's a lot of years for a 69-year-old. (Nice.) Guess he shouldn't have violated that plea deal!

Hello, Bill Weld:

Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld is the first Republican to announce his intention to seek the 2020 GOP nomination, but his candidacy might be more an act of protest than a conventional campaign. https://t.co/TGGaIpDNTU— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 15, 2019

Mass shooting reported in Aurora, Illinois: Six people—including the shooter, Gary Martin—are dead after a massacre at a valve manufacturing firm, theChicago Tribunereports. Multiple injuries have been reported.

Two suspects arrested in the Jussie Smollet case: According to CNN, the two men are Nigerian, and they both had "some kind of previous affiliation" with Smollett.

Goodbye, Roy Street Coffee: The non-Starbucks Starbucks is getting the boot in April, according to Capitol Hill Seattle Blog. Great, now Joe Bar is going to be even more packed.

King County Democrats ask the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce to reconsider hiring Joe Fain: Add former Washington State Senator Joe Fain to the list of men whose lives were not ruined by a rape allegation, but who, strangely enough, seem to have more power and influence now. After a "nationwide search," the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce hired Fain as their CEO, KUOW reports. In a statement, the King County Dems denounced the chamber's decision. "As the residents of the 47th made clear when they elected Senator Mona Das, the people of the Eastside believe women, prioritize their safety, and want them in positions of leadership. We call on the Bellevue Chamber to reconsider this hire and choose a CEO who will be a true leader," they wrote.

Washington State is one step closer to axing the death penalty: Today the Senate voted 28-19 to abolish the death penalty. If the House passes the bill and Governor Jay Inslee signs it, the state will codify into law the Supreme Court's 2018 ruling, which found the practice unconstitutional due to the fact that it's racist as all hell.

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Rich Smith

Rich Smith writes about politics, books, and performance for The Stranger. You can hear his impersonations of Bernie Sanders and Jeff Sessions on Blabbermouth, and you can read his poems at www.richsmithpoetry.com

Rich Smith

Rich Smith writes about politics, books, and performance for The Stranger. You can hear his impersonations of Bernie Sanders and Jeff Sessions on Blabbermouth, and you can read his poems at www.richsmithpoetry.com